DONE Girl Love...

Tuesday, October 05, 2010

...can make your world go 'round, LOL!

The first few times I received a SparkWorld honour, I tried to get around to the pages of each person who took the time to bless my page individually, with a personal 'thank you'. I've since learned that the longer I am here this becomes less and less practical. I hope you'll all forgive me this more public attempt to convey my gratitude.

THANK YOU, one and all, for every note, goodie, and friending!

I truly appreciate the support and encouragement. With all of the various roadblocks I've encountered, I would likely not still be here working toward my goals were it not for the people who take the time to drop by and offer a word or two. It really is the people we encounter who make any journey worth the trip... and one would be hard pressed to come up with a group more enthusiastic, encouraging and supportive than the DONE Girls!

The truth is, and as much as I appreciate it, the honour also belongs to everyone who has walked just ahead of me on the path... the people who teach me, inspire me, amaze me, challenge me, and who struggle right along beside and with me.

"If I have seen a little further it is by standing on the shoulders of Giants." SIR ISAAC NEWTON

Another Spark said this to me early on in my journey, around the time I first stopped showing up, and in response to my first SparkWorld honouring: "I am still struggling, too. But it's the way we do it that's a motivation for others to follow. You know that, right?" Cee really has no idea how she irrevocably changed my journey with that simple statement.

As I thought about it, I realized that the people by whom I am inspired are those who have struggled, and continue to struggle to reach their goals, often against circumstances I believe would crush me. I am like my six-year-old daughter, as she marches along behind me in deep snow, struggling to carefully place her little feet into my larger prints. My steps are not any more sure than hers... I can simply see farther ahead along the path we are walking together, so I walk with more confidence.

As you struggle, remember that it isn't your success, or how much you know (or how much you think you know), or how many goodies or points you have, or challenges won, OR EVEN POUNDS LOST that speaks to the hearts of others. Even that you lost any weight will soon be forgotten by most people.

...And I know right now some of you are thinking (even if you've been around a while), "What's it about if not the pounds lost?" "How could how much I lose become irrelevant?"

What it's about is how this process shapes you, moment by moment, throughout the journey... and that doesn't end at 'goal weight'. What it's about is that you struggle, and that you continue to struggle, and even struggle some more to be AUTHENTIC... because as you struggle you are learning, and you are inspiring someone else to struggle beside you. And if you aren't achieving your goals, consider that perhaps you aren't struggling effectively... insanity is doing the same thing over and over again, expecting different results. Find some bigger footprints and place your feet within THEM for a bit and see what happens.

The success is self-evident. That we all struggle is also self-evident. More importantly, don't be afraid to tell people HOW you struggle. Don't be afraid to let others see your vulnerabilities... and then allow them to bear witness as you turn your vulnerabilities into strength and authenticity. Sing your song loudly and unabashedly! Your off-notes will become harmony to those of another singing and struggling right along side of you.

...And to all of you who find anything I have to say 'inspiring' or 'motivating', just remember that when you're inspired and motivated it's because you are identifying for yourself how you, too, are struggling well. I'm NOT the 'motivator' ...you are discovering the motivation within yourself as it's reflected in my struggle. I'm honoured to struggle with you. Always remember that you don't have to struggle alone. Look for the footprints INTO WHICH your own feet fit....

...And these are the footprints into which I've been placing my stumbling steps, and the shoulders upon which I've been standing, when I've had trouble figuring out which fork in the road to take, or what may be around the corner that could break my stride. WILLIAM A. WARD said, "[There are] four steps to achievement: plan purposefully, prepare prayerfully, proceed positively, pursue persistently." The following Sparks are the best examples I know living the truth of this statement. Besides their own unique lessons and giftedness, they are also people who have, above all, taught me the meaning of living grace, abundance and gratitude. I invite you to check out their pages, their blogs and their journey. Walk a ways beside them... place your feet in their footprints and experience their wisdom... I guarantee they won't mind. Here they are, in no particular order, with all of my gratitude for their contribution to my journey!

"We are like dwarfs on the shoulders of giants, so that we can see more than they, and things at a greater distance, not by virtue of any sharpness of sight on our part, or any physical distinction, but because we are carried high and raised up by their giant size." BERNARD DE CHARTRES

LIFE is a VERB!!!!!! www.sparkpeople.com/mypage.asp?id=YOOVIE
Yoovie, you've taught me to be audacious and fearless... to live and think bigger than I thought possible. You've brought me back to a younger and more vibrant self. Thank you.

Life is happening now, not 10 pounds from now. www.sparkpeople.com/mypage.asp?id=~INDYGIRL
Beth, you teach me that life is happening now, not 10 pounds from now, LOL! ...And you inspire within me the courage to go out and LIVE it. Thank you.

Cause for Celebration 5 years on www.sparkpeople.com/mypage.asp?id=NEW%2DCAZ
Dearest Caz, you've taught me laughter and gracious perseverance... life doesn't have to be fought at every turn... one can embrace it in a loving dance through all the steps. Thank you.

Yo! Yo. Yo-Yo. www.sparkpeople.com/mypage.asp?id=VEEJAY3
Veejay... just by being, you turn my face to the mirror of life and teach me to unconditionally love what I see... because I LOVE YOU, I must love myself. Thank you.

Livin' in the moment . . . . www.sparkpeople.com/mypage.asp?id=TKADEEPBREATH
Jan, you've taught me to take a deep breath, and live moment by moment, and to celebrate that in me which remains child-like, yet is wise beyond convention. I love you.

Mirwyn www.sparkpeople.com/mypage.asp?id=MIRWYN
Lisa, I've only just begun to learn from you, but I already know anew the power of unapologetically living my truth. In this my 50th year, I look forward to once and for all learning who I truly am.

A Journey to Health www.sparkpeople.com/mypage.asp?id=TINATC26
Tina, you are the quintessential baby stepper... you consistently invite me to lay down my perfectionism for something better... peace and balance. Thank you.

"Time is on my side..." as long as I spend it well. www.sparkpeople.com/mypage.asp?id=OMELYN
Lynn, you teach me... in ways and means beyond my ken.... You teach me to honour myself as I honour others. I am a better person for knowing you. Thank you.

Trusting God to be the best "me" I can be! www.sparkpeople.com/mypage.asp?id=ONEAGLESWINGS
Sue, you remind me that I CAN fly... higher than I even yet imagine, and you lend harmony to my own voice of praise for the breath that carries us both ever higher. Thank you.

To Be A Swan www.sparkpeople.com/mypage.asp?id=2BASWAN
Cathie, you teach me courage and dignity within tribulation at a level I never knew was possible... you teach me that if I'm going to 'bleed', to bleed love for myself, and to bleed constructively. Thank you.

DONE WITH THE PAST...DONE WITH WAITING FOR THE FUTURE - I AM - GOYAAM! I CAN...I WILL...HELL YEAH! www.sparkpeople.com/mypage.asp?id=MOEDANCING
Maureen, you have taught me to GOMAAM (Get Off My @$$ And Move), and that to GOMAAM is possible even in the midst of great sorrow (you also taught me all about Spark breaks). Thank you.

"A whole new beginning" www.sparkpeople.com/mypage.asp?id=LADYNETTIE
Nettie, I am in AWE of your accomplishment... and I can't quite grasp that you could actually really be 50 years old! YOU are HAWT!!!! And you give me HOPE... I turn 50 in six months. I hope you won't mind me returning often to soak up your vibe and learn from your journey.

Being DONE is the bombdiggity!!! Living like I am Living **NOT** Living like I am Dying!!!!! www.sparkpeople.com/mypage.asp?id=TANSHAN1
Shanon, you have taught me to, in the midst of dying (and this means all of us every day), be sure to live abundantly. If I am to be casual about anything, it SHOULD be death. Living should be what I get passionate about.
Rest in peace, Shannon! I miss you!

"If you are to rise to remarkable heights you must walk in the footsteps of giants." UNKNOWN

"Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our light, not our darkness that most frightens us. We ask ourselves, Who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented, fabulous? Actually, who are you not to be? You are a child of God. Your playing small does not serve the world. There is nothing enlightened about shrinking so that other people won't feel insecure around you. We are all meant to shine, as children do. We were born to make manifest the glory of God that is within us. It's not just in some of us; it's in everyone. And as we let our own light shine, we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same. As we are liberated from our own fear, our presence automatically liberates others.”

MARIANNE WILLIAMSON
from 'A Return To Love: Reflections on the Principles of A Course in Miracles'

...And for all of you I pray... May your every day be all you need it to be. May an all abiding peace fill your thoughts, rule in your dreams each night, and conquer all your fears. May God manifest himself in ways you have never before experienced. May your joys be fulfilled, your dreams be closer, and your cares be lifted. I pray that faith enters a new height in you, that your territory be enlarged, and that fulfillment is just one step closer.

May today and every day bring to you a ridiculous abundance of whatever you need. May all your concerns, struggles, anxieties and fears fall like ashes as you rise on eagle's wings, SOARING above all that would hinder you along this tremendous adventure of being and becoming all you are created to be. May the grace of God simply "overtake" you moment by moment. May the joy and victory of the risen Lord be yours in a very personal way... may you always be overwhelmed by the grace of God, rather than by the cares of life! AMEN.

IAM_HIS2
Ramona, God has given you a wonderful talent--writing. I hope you will ask Him if you are to write a book. It appears to me that you could touch so my people in a wonderful way if you did. However, He is in charge. In the meantime, Awesome blog!! Thank you for the blessings and wisdom.

TKADEEPBREATH
You are the BEST BEST BEST . . . I love the gift of word weaving you have. I am so touched and encouraged by it. I'm going to visit every friend you mentioned here and if they are not my friend yet, I will seek to know them too, because "where you go, I want to go". I love you too . . . . Jan2254 days ago

LESA2.0
Loved the blog! You are so insightful; I love reading anything you write. Thanks for sharing links to all the sparkpages of these wonderful done girls. I've been checking some of them out, and these ladies are indeed inspirations, just like you!! 2256 days ago

OMELYN
Wow sis, So you're saying I motivate a motivator... If I weren't so busy wondering if the 15 minutes we "ran/walked" at the school "fun run fund raiser" can count as my exercise, for today, I might be impressed with myself.

But, thanks with all my heart for seeing me in a way I always hope, I am viewed. You see what I wish I always was.

I am proud to call you "friend" and honored that you consider me the same.

TELERIE
What a beautiful person you are, Ramona! You deserve every accolade, and I thank you for the honor of being mentioned in your list of inspiring people as you continue to inspire me while we make it one baby step at a time.2257 days ago

And thank YOU for being the unapologetic, beautiful, amazing, spectacular, and any other fantastic adjective you can think of YOU!!!

I'm humbled & honored to be called friend and feel that I've learned more from you than you could ever learn from me... but isn't that what it's all about ? The giving freely of ourselves, not counting what goes out, but taking joy in the abundance that we receive?

All I know is that my life is fuller and more wonderful than I could imagine because you're a part of it.

NEW-CAZ
You are an amazing woman Ramona, I've seen how you cope with whatever life throws at you with amazing grace and strength and you've always been there for me..somthing I'll not forget!I don't think you're aware of the love you give out it's second nature to you!How sweet of you to have me on your list- truly honoured.

NOTABOUTHEFACE
You deserved every accolade. You are the epitome of hanging in there and continuing to evolve and find the balance to be your best self. Thanks so much for the shout out, it's an honor.2257 days ago

TINATC26
well, I just dropped by your page to say hey and eavesdropped on a note that said you'd blogged today, which of course I didn't get because ONCE again my subscription to your blog did not do it's job..and I come and read.. I am honored to be on your list, Ramona, but must say, I don't know if you have any idea how much your steady presence, there for ALL of us, is appreciated and part and parcel of why we stay here on Spark.. the love, support and encouragement you are so ready and steady with are so important to my journey..

thank you dear friend, and may your journey continue in the most delightful way..